Apple and Cinnamon
by LithiumKiss
Summary: AU, Sweden/Korea oneshot, fic challenge. Sometimes all it takes is an order of coffee to get to know someone. Revised.


**Title: _CPC: Apple and Cinnamon_**

**Pairing: _Sweden__ x S. Korea, some Denmark x Sweden_**

**Rating: _M (implied situations)_**

**Genre: _Romance_**

**A/N: _Another fic for catskid100's challenge. This is completely AU, set in some American city. I was going to write something for Germany x Latvia but then all of a sudden I had this idea for Sweden and Korea so I decided I had to grab it by the reigns and let it take me wherever it wanted. It was a lot of fun to write and I hope you all enjoy it, da ze! Feedback would be wonderful :3_**

**_By the way, I think muscly and unwelcomed should both be words... =\ I don't own Hetalia._**

* * *

"It's so slow this morning, da ze," Im Yong Soo muttered to himself as he leaned his cheek against his hand, watching the crowds of people ebbing and flowing past the windows. In the outside world, each day got busier and busier, and inside the cafe, every day business became less and less. It seemed as though nobody had time to just sit and drink coffee and read the newspaper these days. The Korean wondered whether it was even worth building and designing such a place if nobody was going to take the time to enjoy it.

The hiss of the milk steamer, coupled with the angry shout of one of the other staff members in the storeroom broke him from his reverie.

"Everything alright in there?" Yong Soo called out. A tall man with blond hair, blue eyes and glasses stormed out from behind the door, arms flailing about. "Didn't break another box of glasses this time, Alfred? You're so clumsy, da ze."

"Shut up," the American snapped. "The coffee hasn't arrived yet and it was supposed to be here an hour ago!" He pulled the ties of his apron around himself and knotted them violently.

"At least we don't have any customers yet, so don't worry too much, da ze."

"Whatever."

It was eight-thirty on Wednesday morning - one would assume that people would be coming in to grab a take-away latte or cappuccino on their way to work, but not today. Yesterday and the day before was much the same. Yong Soo didn't mind a whole lot - at least he wasn't stressed about too many orders, but without customers he was bored. He washed cups, cutlery and plates until he could see his reflection in them, but that only took an hour at most. He wiped down tables, tucked in and aligned the chairs, arranged the salt and pepper shakers and made sure the menus were sitting up properly, but that only took fifteen minutes at most.

At nine, Kiku Honda, Wang Yao and Matthew Williams arrived and eventually by nine-thirty customers started to trickle in.

"I don't think there needs to be this many people working here today, aru." Yao placed his hands on his hips in an annoyed gesture and looked around the cafe. "There are only ten people, aru."

"Ten's better than nine, or none, for that matter," Kiku said quietly as he shook the cocoa powder onto the cappuccinos. "I don't think we should be speaking too badly of business, especially when Alfred-kun's around. He gets disheartened quite easily."

"Alright, fine," Yao muttered as he took a muffin from the cabinet. "And since you're not doing anything," he directed his gaze to Yong Soo, "take some napkins to table seven, aru."

"So demanding, da ze." The Korean bent down to get some of the paper squares from beneath the counter and when he straightened up again he was met with a pair of intense turquoise eyes. He let out a short sharp yell of shock and dropped the napkins, causing a few of the customers to stop what they were doing and stare at him. "Sorry," he said with a sheepish chuckle.

Standing on the other side of the counter was a familiar man, and if Yong Soo could remember correctly, his name was something like Bert or Brendon, which was strange because he spoke with a thick Scandinavian accent (he knew his nationalities pretty damn well) so he assumed the man would have a name to match it. Nevertheless, he had been coming to the cafe since last Wednesday, (Yong Soo didn't work weekends but Matthew informed him that he was there on Sunday) and every day onwards, for between one and two hours, he would sit at the same table, order either an espresso or pot of Earl grey with honey and lemon. Sometimes even a raspberry muffin.

"So what would you like today...er, can I take your order?" Yong Soo corrected when the man's eyebrow quirked in confusion. He wasn't as if he knew the guy, or they were familiar with one another at all (the Korean kind of got to know him through what he ordered and the way he just sat there everyday, but it's not as if it was mutual - Yong Soo was positive that he didn't take much notice of him as he just sat there everyday).

"Th' tea, th'nks."

That was another thing Yong Soo knew about the man - he was difficult to understand. The accent made it hard to figure out what he was saying. But, the word "tea" was distinct enough.

"Coming right up, da ze."

As he arranged the cup and saucer, the tea pot and the small jug of milk on the tray, he watched as the stranger sat in his usual seat and stared out onto the street. He seemed to be looking for somebody. Every time the door opened, he would turn to face it, an eager tint in his eye, but every time, his face would fall. Was he waiting for somebody? It happened everyday...was he waiting for somebody every single day? For some reason, that gave Yong Soo an ache in his chest. For some reason, it made him want to sit down with the tall, blond, very attractive Scandinavian and ask him his name and who was it that he was waiting for.

Why the hell would he do that?

"Alfred, who exactly is that, da ze?" Yong Soo nudged Alfred as he walked past to take a cookie from the jar.

The American snorted and shook his head. "That sucker? Gawd, he's whipped so bad."

"What my idiot brother meant to say was," Matthew interjected; (he just popped up out of nowhere! Yong Soo totally forgot he worked there. Had he been there the whole time? Not a chance; he would have noticed) "that his name is Berwald and he's waiting for his lover," the Canadian trailed off softly, seeming to be completely awed. What a hopeless romantic!

"How do you even _know_ these things, da ze?"

"I just do."

"It's because he's banging Francis," Alfred said casually. "Francis knows everything and everybody and everything about everybody - suppose he would have to, he gets around enough."

"ALFRED!"

"So he's been waiting everyday for this person and everyday they've stood him up? That's rough, da ze."

Yong Soo liked to think he would have put a stop to that kind of pain and humiliation had he been in Berwald's situation, but he wasn't, so all he could do was watch and wonder.

But honestly! One whole week! Perhaps Berwald's reasons for letting himself get hurt like an idiot who didn't know when to give up each day of the past week were completely and understandably valid.

Or not.

"Yes. It's kind of romantic, isn't it? It shows he's dedicated."

"Matty, are you saying that you would get stood up over and over again by Francis just for Francis? That's so not awesome."

Wang Yao suddenly stormed over to the front counter and slammed the empty plates he had just cleared off a table onto the hard surface with a loud clatter. "Will you three shut up, aru?" He hissed vehemently. "I could hear your conversation from the other side of the room - if I could, then so could he, aru."

Yong Soo cast a guilty look over to Berwald's table, where the Scandinavian was quietly sipping his tea, keeping his eyes downcast and focused on the white teacup in his hands. The Korean frowned and muttered some form of apology to Yao before getting on with whatever it was he was supposed to be doing.

At four forty-three, Berwald was still at the cafe. He had only ordered another two espresso coffees and hadn't eaten anything. Yong Soo became increasingly concerned. It was the other's own choice to spend hours of each precious day that he would never get back waiting for somebody who would never show, and there was nothing Yong Soo could do. He was a stranger to Berwald, so what advice could he give that wouldn't be considered rude or inconsiderate?

How wonderful could his lover be, anyway? Something pretty damn special if he was making a completely handsome specimen such as this man wait around for him everyday.

Or maybe Berwald was a bad person? He looked menacing, but his mannerisms were gentle, and overall he was a pleasant guy, (even though Yong Soo only took his order for coffee and the occasional raspberry muffin) so surely he wouldn't be a bad person to be with.

Yong Soo just didn't have a clue - but he wanted to. He wanted to know why for reasons unbeknownst to him. Perhaps it was his own sense of personal justice, or that he hadn't had a good relationship in his life either. In any case, he wanted this dedicated, solemn and lonely-looking man to smile. The Korean was positive he would look even more handsome if he smiled; even if it was just a little, subtle one like Kiku's.

When Alfred wasn't looking, Yong Soo took a muffin from the cabinet. There weren't any raspberry, so he chose an apple and cinnamon which were, in his opinion, a whole lot nicer. Slowly, he walked over to Berwald's table, which seemed a lot further away that he had first thought. The Scandinavian didn't look up at him when he stood beside him, so he placed the plate down in front of him and sat down in the chair opposite.

"You haven't eaten anything all day," Yong Soo said evenly. Why was he so nervous? He was just doing the right, caring thing. Anyone else would have in his situation, right?

"'M not h'ngry." Berwald pushed the plate from him a little ways and turned his head so he could look outside onto the street which had become desolate, gloomy and grey - the afternoon sun had disappeared and it looked as though it would rain. "Th'nks."

"I know its apple and cinnamon and not raspberry, but you should eat anyway, da ze."

Berwald looked up to meet his eyes and Yong Soo felt his cheeks flush. Eventually he looked away and focused on his hands which had become clenched together so tightly they were shaking.

"'S my fav'rite."

"But I thought..."

Berwald shook his head and then gave him a questioning look. "Why'd y' do this?"

"It's just a muffin, da ze."

Berwald nodded slowly and pulled a small piece of the muffin away so he could eat it. Yong Soo found he could look up at Berwald if those intense eyes remained focused on the muffin on the plate.

"I'm sorry about before - my friends and I aren't really subtle and I know how bad it must be for you, da ze." He had never been made to wait an entire week for somebody before, but he had been stood up before, and it sure as hell wasn't a picnic. He wished he'd had somebody come up and talk to him at that time, so perhaps Berwald would appreciate it.

"'S okay - must look like 'n idiot to y'." He laughed softly and bitterly before continuing to eat.

"Not really - she must be a stand-up kind of chick."

"He," Berwald mumbled around his mouthful. Not even a hint of a blush! Yong Soo would have been just a little embarrassed to admit his lover was a male (if he had one, that is), but Berwald had said it without being shy or a hint of hesitation. He must really love this man, Yong Soo thought, a small dose of jealousy weaving throughout his mind, as if he could be better for the man sitting before him. _As if_!

"Oh, right - well I guess you don't really wanna talk about him at the moment right? So where are you from, da ze?"

"Sweden."

"Aha! I thought so, da ze!"

Berwald raised his eyebrow and Yong Soo blushed a little. "I mean, I know accents and stuff and I could sort of tell, da ze."

An awkward silence fell between the two of them, which the Korean could not deal with. He tended to blurt ridiculous things when he was caught in such a situation, and this one was no different. Before he could stop himself, he reached over and held Berwald's hands tightly in his own.

"Will you go to dinner with me tonight? Or even tomorrow or the next night? Just as friends? Or not even as that if you don't want to, da ze." Apparently from the snickers that followed his attempt at asking the Swede out, he had said it rather loudly. Said suspicious noises seemed to have come from the front counter. None of that particularly mattered, though. Yong Soo wished he could turn back time and just take back his stupid request.

"...Alr'ght."

"Really?"

"Mm'd be good."

Yong Soo felt a wave of relief wash over him and he became instantly elated. He scribbled down his details and when his shift was over he practically skipped home - well, skipped to his car and then when he returned to his apartment he skipped into reception, into the elevator and then to room number twelve on the seventh floor.

Berwald called that evening and they arranged to go to dinner on Saturday. After that, Thursday and Friday decided to crawl by as slowly as they could, stopping every few metres to let the second-hand snails cross the road. When Saturday finally arrived, Yong Soo was ready at least an hour before Berwald came to pick him up, and he even ran down the stairs so he could reach the ground floor faster. The Swede looked good, smelled good, and hell, his voice even sounded different; even better than Yong Soo remembered. The dinner itself was awkward at first, but the food was good and eventually they became comfortable with one another's company. All night, they avoided the one topic that the Korean desired to talk about, until the drive home.

"Why would you do that for him, da ze? Is he really worth it?"

Berwald's grip on the steering wheel tightened and his knuckles paled considerably quickly. "He promises," was all he said.

"And he breaks every one of those promises? That's not what a lover should do, da ze." Yong Soo looked over to see Berwald's profile; his jaw was clenched tightly, and he could see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed deeply. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be disrespectful or anything but you deserve better than to be left alone every single day, da ze."

Neither of them spoke another word until they reached his apartment. Berwald said he would walk him to the front entrance, even though it was only nine or so feet away.

"Thanks for tonight, it was nice. We should do it again, da ze."

"That so."

"Yeah."

The two stood uncomfortably, not sure of what to do. Yong Soo thought a handshake would suffice but he felt that it would be a little disappointing and not the best way to end a good evening out. A kiss seemed out of the question, so he stepped forward and stood on his toes so he could lace his arms around Berwald's neck. He felt the other tense slightly but soon there were a strong pair of arms wrapped around his waist. He slowly inhaled Berwald's scent and became lost in an ocean of emotions and sensations. To have the safety of such arms, to be so close...

It was all lost when he felt the Swede move. They pulled away gently, and Yong Soo could swear than those large hands lingered on his back for a while longer than necessary - however, it wasn't entirely unwelcomed.

"Night, Berwald. Be safe driving home, da ze." You're incredible, gorgeous, and I want you to stay here with me tonight, da ze.

He stood and waved idly until the car became lost in the other traffic. His head was up in the clouds; he didn't even remember the time between leaving Berwald for the evening and climbing into bed. His wishes were made completely in vain, though. Berwald had a lover, he belonged with somebody else - he belonged _to_ somebody else - and was probably talking to them on the phone in hushed whispers (that seemed out of character for Berwald, but Yong Soo didn't know him too well) or...sleeping with him at that very moment. He buried his head into his pillow and groaned. How had simple sympathy and concern turned into _this_?

At two-thirty on Sunday morning, Yong Soo woke up and thought sadly to himself that Berwald ordered raspberry muffins for his lover instead of the apple and cinnamon ones he liked, even after he knew his partner was never going to show up. After that, he fell asleep and had a disturbing dream about Alfred and Kiku in the storeroom on top of the cardboard boxes.

* * *

Berwald loved the city at night. He loved the way the fume-filled air burned his nostrils as he breathed it in from his top floor balcony. The lights - red, blue and white, sometimes orange - danced below and before him in a never-ending expanse. It was strange; there were so many people, yet he was alone. His lover, Mathias, was all he had, but things had been bad for over twelve months and they weren't going to get better. Of course, Berwald liked to argue, but after a while, words became more biting and he began to actually hurt. He even cried once.

They had always arranged to meet for coffee, but of late, his Danish partner had stopped showing up. His excuses were becoming more and more left of centre, and Berwald knew there was somebody else.

There was always somebody else.

That thought did nothing to him - he felt no remorse, jealousy or even relief. He was indifferent. Mathias was...convenient for his own selfish needs. Since arriving in America, he had been alone and Mathias reminded him just a little of his old home. He could speak Swedish, and Berwald could speak Danish. Together, they mixed the languages and it was familiar and warm but as their relationship crumbled, little by little, it lost it's meaning. What they shared were merely words, after all. They could say what they needed to in English, it would mean the same thing. That thought was something he couldn't stomach, but he became used to it. He had to. Mathias wouldn't be around forever - the only reason he came home at night was because Berwald had money.

And then there was Yong Soo.

What on earth could Berwald say about him? He was strange, loud and completely unabashed in everything he did, but refreshing. He'd only spent one afternoon and one evening with the Asian but he felt something that he couldn't put a name to - it was as if he'd never felt something like it before. The spectrum of human emotion was, indeed, a vast one, Berwald concluded.

The door creaked open and Mathias stumbled in, the smell of liquor and cologne other than his all over him. "Well hey there, B." He wrapped his arms around Berwald and ran his hands up and down his chest lazily. "Sorry I never showed up today, but ya know how it gets."

"Mm."

"Don't be too mad with me, okay? Next time - tomorrow."

Berwald suppressed the urge to shake his head. He knew there would be no tomorrow. Would he still wait there for another whole day like he had today?

Or would he go with somebody else on his mind?

"How 'bout w' leave it f'r now?"

"Hmm...yeah, okay. Hey B, I was thinking that we should give it a rest for now, ya know? We don't see much of each other and we're still both young."

Berwald would have inhaled a breath of fresh, calming relief, but Mathias was drunk and in the morning it might be another story. It was actually his fault that they didn't see much of one another, but he wasn't about to point that out, so he just led the Dane to bed where he fell asleep immediately and began to snore loudly.

It was a shame, Berwald thought to himself as he brushed his fingers through Mathias' hair. In hind-sight, what they had was good, it was wonderful, but eventually Berwald grew up and Mathias wanted more than he could give. They just weren't suited to one another and giving it a rest, as Mathias put it, was probably for the best.

When Berwald eventually laid his head down on his pillow, he thought of Yong Soo - his dark, inquisitive eyes, that silly curl that stuck up on top of his head and that irritating speech pattern. He made him forget everything and he made him feel free, more so than he ever had in any relationship. When they managed to strike up a conversation of interest, the Korean talked the most and at a ridiculously fast pace, but the Swede enjoyed listening to him. The end of the evening had to be the most difficult; to hear Yong Soo speak so truthfully about his predicament upset him more than it should have, and he was confused as to why it did in the first place. He told himself that Mathias wasn't meant to be his all the time, but to hear the truth from somebody else made it worse - did everybody who knew of their relationship see what Yong Soo did? It was a humiliating prospect and Berwald didn't want to be perceived as being the type to stand aside and let himself be treated like a doormat.

He didn't want Yong Soo to think of him as that most of all; he wanted him to see him as somebody worthy of anything, anybody, and he didn't know why.

In the morning, Mathias was gone and so were his things. So he had been serious. The first thing Berwald did was call the realtors to check for a place on the market - he needed to leave the apartment and make a fresh start. By three that afternoon he had all his belongings packed and donated the furniture to a charity shop just down the road. It was cheap, pseudo-designer furniture, and he was certain that he could build his own in no time at all. When he left the apartment for the last time, he didn't even give it a second glance. He handed in his key at the front desk and drove to the only place that had been on his mind since he first opened his eyes to the rising sun.

Yong Soo wasn't there. Berwald sat down in his seat by the window where he could see quite a way down the street. The Korean didn't arrive until five-thirty and didn't notice him until he went to leave. He gave him a wide-eyed, incredulous look and sat down opposite him.

"You're not here again for _him_ are you, da ze?"

Berwald shook his head. "I w's waiting f'r y'."

"Oh." Yong Soo's cheeks flushed a soft pink and his lips curved upwards in a shy smile which wasn't at all like him, yet Berwald liked that look on him - it suited him very much. "Sorry, I don't work on the weekends - I came here to collect my pay, da ze. Why were you waiting for me?"

It was Berwald's turn to blush now. He fiddled with the napkin in front of him and eventually forced himself to make some sort of move, to say something. He shrugged his shoulders lightly and with some effort, looked into the Korean's expectant face. "J'st want'd t'."

Yong Soo flashed him a ridiculously big grin and he leaned back in his chair. "Really? Why don't we go out again tomorrow night? I had so much fun with you last night, da ze."

"That so?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Berwald and Yong Soo went out every night for the following week - dinner, movies and once they went out on a ferry; Berwald got seasick but tried his best not to show it. Yong Soo found himself being able to be so forward when it came to conversations, but he could never bring himself to kiss the Swede goodnight, which was alright because he decided that Berwald was probably still in love with his partner. They got to know one another, and sometimes after their date had ended, Yong Soo would call Berwald to tell him something he "forgot to say", and sometimes he would fall asleep listening to that deep, smooth voice.

On Friday night, Berwald told him about Mathias, how they met and that even though he loved him once, the relationship just wasn't meant to be. Yong Soo felt somewhat guilty when he felt himself become warm with happiness - Berwald looked so solemn, however the faint glint in his eyes made him seem content.

On Saturday afternoon, Berwald insisted that Yong Soo come with him to his place so they could have dinner in. On the drive there, the dark clouds split and rain poured down, drenching the city around them and they were both soaked by the time they reached Berwald's front door.

"That was so sudden, da ze," the Korean said as he watched the rain drops fall from the vines growing on the small atrium. Berwald had busied himself with unlocking the front door. He sneezed and the Swede turned to him with a look of concern on his face.

"Y' alr'ght?"

"Mm." Yong Soo nodded and belatedly realised how close they were standing; he could feel Berwald's warm breath caress the bridge of his nose. When Berwald leaned down to him, everything seemed to play in slow motion - their lips couldn't have met soon enough. Every new emotion, on top of the ones that had been present to begin with intensifying, came crashing down around him until all there was left was pure bliss. He could taste the rain in Berwald's mouth, feel the warmth of his palms when he cupped his face. The kiss was broken when Yong Soo had to pull away to sneeze again.

"Y' should t'ke a sh'wer so y' cold d'sn't get worse."

Berwald told him the bathroom was upstairs and when he walked away from him to the foot of the stairs, he ached. Each step upwards was a step away and once he reached the top he could take no more. He turned around to see Berwald at the bottom, looking up at him, so he extended his shaking hand to him.

"Please join me, da ze."

The warm water on his cold skin felt just like heaven, yet it was no match to the feeling of his eager heart beating forcefully inside his chest. He felt the Swede behind him and he sighed when those large hands came to rest on his shoulders. His back met with the other's chest and he shivered, despite the thickening steam swirling around them. Those hands slid down his arms and then found his hips. Yong Soo shuddered when Berwald's lips nipped at the shell of his ear and then trailed down to rest on the nape of his neck. His nerves flared with electricity and it became hard to breathe, but he wanted to let himself become completely immersed in Berwald's grasp, the touch and taste of him, and he was prepared to forget his fears, his everything, just to experience just how close he could be to this man.

* * *

"Your eyes are really pretty, da ze," Yong Soo whispered as he carded his fingers through Berwald's hair. "They're so green."

"Mm."

"I really haven't seen anything like them, da ze." His fingers became less fascinated with the spiky blond strands and decided to massage the Swede's strong shoulders instead. "You're so muscly, too. I don't see any gym equipment or clothes around, so it's just natural, da ze?"

Berwald gave him a chaste kiss on the lips and rested his forehead against Yong Soo's. "Y' t'lk too much."

"Sorry, da ze. I just can't help it sometimes. But really, Berwald, every part of you is just amazing and-_mmph..._"

Yong Soo smiled into the kiss, gladly taking the hint. He wrapped his arms around the blond, bringing them closer until they melted into one another, until they were one.

* * *

**-Fin :D **


End file.
